Project: Dissolved Organic Matter Composition in the Deep Atlantic Ocean

Acronym/Short Name:Deep Atlantic DOM
Project Duration:2012-02 - 2015-01
Geolocation:Western Atlantic Ocean

Description

Transformations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the deep ocean have profound impacts on the global carbon cycle due to the sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) away from the atmosphere. Although research has been conducted on the high molecular weight component of this material, the same cannot be said for low molecular weight DOM because the needed analytical techniques have not been available to determine its composition and reactivity.

In recent years, a research team at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has acquired the necessary analytical capability. As such, in this project, they will carry out the first systematic survey of deep ocean DOM in the western Atlantic Ocean to characterize the low molecular weight fraction of DOM in southward flowing North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), northward flowing Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). Using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and multi-stage fragmentation coupled to liquid chromatography, the scientists will determine the spatial variability in the composition of DOM along the flow path of the water masses, as well as assess the source water, transport, and surface processes that contribute to temporal changes in DOM composition. These results will be augmented with structural elucidation and quantitative assays of unique marker compounds for each water mass. Results will provide important insights into the biogeochemical reactions that govern DOM dynamics in the deep ocean.


DatasetLatest Version DateCurrent State
Sample information for metaproteomic samples taken from Station 2 from R/V Knorr KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados from March 20132022-06-13Preliminary and in progress
Total organic sulfur (TOS) collected from Niskin bottle samples on R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados from March to May 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2018-09-04Final no updates expected
Targeted dissolved metabolite abundances from R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados from March to May 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2017-05-16Final no updates expected
Targeted particulate metabolite abundances from R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados from March to May 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2017-05-16Final no updates expected
Inorganic and organic nutrient data from Niskin bottles from R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados in 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2016-07-25Final no updates expected
Viral and bacterial counts from filtered water, stained with SYBR Green and counted using epifluorescent microscopy, from samples collected on R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean in 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2014-08-08Final no updates expected
Processed CTD data from all sensors mounted on the rosette from R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados in 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2014-01-14Final no updates expected
Scientific sampling event log from R/V Knorr cruise KN210-04 in the Western Atlantic Ocean between Uruguay and Barbados in 2013 (Deep Atlantic DOM project)2013-11-13Final no updates expected

People

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Kujawinski
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

Co-Principal Investigator: Krista Longnecker
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Shannon Rauch
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)


Programs

Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry [OCB]

Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet [C-CoMP]